Harmony test. Should I?!

[Skinnylegs33]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could give some word of advice on this? Am considering paying for a Harmony test;I've actually booked it for this THURSDAY but I am having second thoughts, mainly because of cost.
It is £400 (for a viability scan, blood tests and a nuchal scan in 2 weeks)that we could really do with. If I go there after 11w it will be £500.

Could anyone please advise whether it's worth having it done? What does it bring extra compared to the NHS testing?

I am 33 yo and 10w2d pregnant (dated by an NHS obgyn yesterday). Had the scan as I've had 2 mmc previously (at 6 and 7 w) - not sure whether the mmc bit is relevant, but I also have this "what if" fear to deal with.

Would appreciate any words of wisdom as I'm really confused. The fact that I got so far this time hasn't properly sank in and I want to do things right as much as possible.

[Skinnylegs33]

Madrigals I think that's very likely. I could see other consultants/doctors coming to welcome the ladies for their appointments. When I saw my consultant walking in I was like "hope she's not coming for me"
But she did turn out to be quite nice in the end.
Some people can't leave their problems outside the office and I am one of them too; luckily I am not client facing :)

[Skinnylegs33]

siani I know exactly how that feels.I was a ticking bomb while waiting for the results. I haven't announced it because I really wanted to see how the Harmony comes back.
Now, that I know, I still haven't told people

I think there will always be something to worry about unfortunately; at least that's how I am.

I'm sure everything will turn up great at your end too I'll keep everything crossed for you! Best of luck!

[sianihedgehog]

Great to hear it all went so well! I've got my appointment for my results at the FMC next week and I'm bricking it.

[Skinnylegs33]

Happy to report back.

Finally received the results yesterday and they came as very low risk.
All in all I believe it was money well spent and I would do it again anytime, for peace of mind.
I can't compare the Harmony results with the NHS ones as I have chosen not to go for the NHS scan and testing.
I have called the ultrasound dept in the hospital I'm with and I've been told that they do not recommend going for the NHS testing if I've done the Harmony. I was relieved to hear that as I was dreading another episode of high anxiety :/

In terms of the service received, I was disappointed at first as I have read on here how the technicians/drs at the FMC are very gentle and explain everything they see offering reassurance to those that don't like long episodes of silence during their scans.
We went there on Thursday and were seen by a lady who didn't seem to smile or talk much. I was so scared that I will get bad news and I kept asking what does she see/is there a hb/etc as the lady scanning us did not seem to cooperate much.

After the viability scan (she dated me at almost a week ahead of the epau scan) I went for the blood test - which did not hurt at all. The lady that took my blood had angel hands, I swear i did not feel a thing.

Anyway, after blood was drawn I was invited to book the Nuchal scan and I asked the receptionist if she could kindly book me in with someone else next time - she seemed surprised by my request and told me that the lady doing my scan was one of their best consultants but she understands if I wanted to switch. Hearing that I changed my mind and now I am happy I did as the nuchal scan was great.
She seemed to be in a much better mood (probably previously she had one of those days) - and she calmly explained everything she was seeing and offered the reassurance I was desperately seeking.

All in all, very happy with our decision to go for the FMC and now have booked an early anomaly scan with them and hopefully will book the 20 week scan with the same consultant.

Blood test results came back in less than 2 weeks - 11 days actually. We chose to find out the sex of the baby and that was one of the most emotional moments I've lived so far

[Threesoundslikealot]

I think they are pretty tight on their catchment now, unless you're referred by another hospital. UCH should be similarly excellent - I don't know about their referral criteria though. The London teaching hospitals in general should have good screening though. The work done by Professor Nicolaides over recent years means that checks like the triple test, NFT and soft markers are spreading across the country, and teaching hospitals should have been amongst the first to pick them up. It's very unlikely to be as a previous poster described of a very basic check.

[Skinnylegs33]

threesoundslikealot thank you
I'm under c&w. I had the option to choose between this and St Mary's and went with c&w.
It's too late for me now to try the nhs route under kings, but could I have done it or do you have to live in the area?
I've certainly heard lots of good things about kings but never crossed my mind I could fall under their care due to living in a different area

[Threesoundslikealot]

I hope it goes OK.

London posters should be aware that both UCH and Kings are trialling the Harmony test on the NHS, as someone above has already mentioned.

Kings antenatal care is run by Dr Nicolaides, who is also the head of the Fetal Medicine Centre. I am told the only difference in the treatment of patients in the two places is that the gel is warmed at FMC! Certainly I have had incredibly thorough scans every time at Kings, and screening at the cutting edge, including Harmony last year. I wish the same was available across the whole NHS but the Harmony pilot is looking to unroll use of it everywhere if it can be proved clinically effective.

[nippey]

batterypoweredhen that is true, I wasn't thinking about the time pressure!

[Skinnylegs33]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply. I am booked in at the FMC tomorrow at 12.30 I am now confident I am doing the right thing.

Toddling I would have definitely asked for a rafund or at least part refund (let's say minus us costs). Really, it's not ok that they have charged you for a poor service.

[PotteringAlong]

I think the key question is whether you will terminate if there is a problem. If yes then it would be worth the money to make early decisions. If not, I would wait for Nhs testing.

[BatteryPoweredHen]

Well, they were negligent, so you wouldn't be at all cheeky to ask for your money back. Panorama isn't suitable if there are twin sacs full stop, viable pregnancy contained in second sac or not.

I'm really sorry you were treated like this, especially at a sensitive time.

[ToddlingAlong1]

Hi Battery.

They did a comprehensive scan before taking blood and did indeed find a second sac. There was nothing in it at all, so they felt it should not confuse the result. Unfortunately, the test picked up extra DNA, so perhaps was not as far gone as they had thought. I went back at 13 weeks and wanted to try again, but when they rescanned the sac was still there and maybe slightly bigger than before. They felt the test would be inclusive again. I also asked for harmony second time as does twinning, but they said I was neither a singleton or a twin! So had to run with nuchal screening. Wasn't cheeky enough to ask for my money back. They are a big referral centre, so obviously don't come across this very often.

[BatteryPoweredHen]

Toddling I would kick up a massive fuss about that if I were you - surely the scan before the blood draw should have found the second sac? (sorry btw )

The sonographer went to great lengths to check that there was def only one in there and wouldn't have proceed to the blood test if there had have been.

Also, if they are unable to get a result from the first blood draw, my clinic do a second for you free of charge. I'm sorry you seem to have had a bit of a shoddy experience

[BirdInTheRoom]

I had the Panorama test here www.uds.uk.com/non-invasive it's in Harley Street. I had it done at 10.5 weeks, got the results 9 days later and found out the sex! I came back low risk. It cost £395 for viability scan and the test.

The only thing is, is I had my NHS scan this week and I am nervously awaiting the results, wondering what an earth I'll do if they call me and say I am high risk - do I trust the Panorama test or go for amnio anyway, in which case what was the point in taking the NIPT??

I kind of wish I had had the package at the Fetal Medicine Centre (they didn't have space for me when I wanted it, which is why I went to the above place) as they also offer a very detailed nuchal scan as part of the deal which should put your mind at rest.

At UDS you would have to pay privately for the additional nuchal scan, but having said that, the Panorama test has excellent accuracy.

[ToddlingAlong1]

I had the panorama test done at 10 weeks. I am in Ireland so because of no abortion here, they don't offer anything other than the basic scan, unless you go private. Unfortunately, I got an inconclusive result due to having a non viable second sac. The test was very sensitive and picked up DNA from a now non viable twin. So for me I lost my money and no results. Very rare. They offered me a 12 w nuchal screening which I took up and thankfully got a lowish risk considering my age - 38. For me, I was worried about getting a medium to high risk result and then not knowing what to do. Go for amnio and risk MC or do a harmony test then, but would be 15 weeks by the time the results came back and getting late to do anything about it. Despite throwing money away this time, I would do the same again.

[BettyButterchops]

I'd agree with battery in that if something doesn't look good, it can all be dealt with sooner. Later results can be heartbreaking as a friend of mine found out. I've had 3mc and am now pregnant at 40 so I jumped at the chance for tjis low risk and highly accurate test. We scraped the 500 together as the waiting to see if this is a healthy preg is too much. I had it done a week ago and am awaiting results. Interestingly, the scan placed me at 11 and not 10 wks meaning the NT scan appt with the nhs may be on the late side. Chances are everything is just fine for us all, but for those of us very anxious to get some answers I think it is worthwhile. £500 is a lot of money but personally, I'm just so relieved to have such a option. Whatever you choose, I hope you have a smooth pregnancy and that you find what's right for you. X

[Tranquilitybaby]

Worth every penny for me!
I had an extopic and a mc last year and was a nervous wreck this time round. I know have a great set of results with v low risk for the three trisomies and know the gender of our baby (since 12+2). £400 well spent for the piece of mind for us.

[sianihedgehog]

I'm doing it. Same package at the Fetal Medicine Centre, I think. My appointment is next Thursday. I looked at how risk is worked out using the NHS method, and age is a big factor. As I'm 37, it's extremely likely that I'll come out as high risk. And CVS and amnio both carry a risk of miscarriage. After miscarrying in my last pregnancy I just can't face the risk of miscarriage unless I really know the risk is very high, and genetic testing like harmony is the only way I can see of really trusting that risk factor.

[emilypolks39]

this survey is for my university research project regarding older and younger mothers and the problems they face, whether social or healthwise. would really appreciate it if some of you could complete it. should only take a few minutes:-) www.surveymonkey.com/s/367GZBH

[Sonoma]

Absolutely do it. As well as the peace of mind the test will give you (the rates of detection are far superior to the NHS offering, you can read them on the FMC site) you will also get a better nuchal scan that takes into account other factors in your risk calculation done by a fetal medicine specialist. They are really excellent which is why I'd personally stick with the FMC offering. They are at the forefront of prenatal testing here. I got a lot of reassurance from mine and will return for the anomaly scan.
NHS tests won't necessarily pick up a high risk - they are not diagnostic tests, that is the point. Nor is Harmony, but it's so much more accurate as to be almost as good as one.

[Observer78]

We had Harmony done, £400, and it does include testing for all 3 x named trimosomies above.

From the Fetal Medicine Centre Website :
The Harmony test analyzes cell free DNA in maternal blood and gives a strong indication of whether the fetus is at high or low risk of having trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) or trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome).

When Panorama did a documentary on why there are so many stillbirths in the UK, the professor (who is an expert in foetal medicine) was consulted, he's the founder of the above centre - I feel he's a good authority to ask about these things.

There are many other clinics scattered across the country, make sure you consult a good one if you're in any doubt.

Personally, Harmony testing was the best decision we made, partly because I am an "older" mum (mid 30's) so my risks were higher, secondly- I'd had a number of miscarriages thus wanted to check how things are.
Money well spent as far as I'm concerned. Plus the sex of the baby was confirmed (for free), not that it mattered as we were just happy to be having a baby, but the sonographer had already told us during the pre-12 wk (private) scan

[Skinnylegs33]

Thank you all.

slug I have been thinking the same. But then read more about it and realised that it's more like a lottery and if there was for something to be picked up on the NHS Nuchal Scan I would bang my head against the walls for not having the Harmony test done earlier.

battery that's where I had my first ever viability scan - it was a mmc. Don't know if I could ever return to that place; nothing to do with them, they've been extremely nice. I have booked the FMC which I believe is next door to where you've been.

Can't find Panorama being offered anywhere (except for the Portland Hospital, but there are no prices available on their website), I can only see Harmony

[MissyBear10]

I had the same package you're describing. I wouldn't change anything. Gave us peace of mind. It wasn't just the test but you get an appointment with the key consultant if anything is spotted which is so reassuring.